The Pestilent Parish - Innsmouth-inspired WIP

[Dysnomia]

Hi guys,

Here is my WIP map of a gloomy town square inspired by H.P. Lovecraft's 'Shadow over Innsmouth', which I made in Photoshop.

Description:
In the centre of the gloomy square lie the crumbling ruins of an ancient church. Long-since left bare to the winds and rain, little remains here but a few patches of curious stonework and the tattered remnants of an altar. Just what deity was worshipped in this cyclopean chapel remains a perturbing mystery. Two of the nearby houses are adjoined by what appear to be animal pens, reeking of decay. A loathsome and glistening lichen clings to the bare stone floors of these pens, spreading beyond them towards the slimy gratings of sewerage drains like the mucous trail of some enormous mollusc.

Most of the textures come from my own travel photos, as well as purchased stock photos (Design Cuts is the best). The main paving brick texture actually comes from a (now public domain) comic from 1947. Also there's a tiiiiiny dragon on the carpet of the drinking hall, which is a public domain image from thegraphicsfairy.com. All the other structures and objects I made using Photoshop.

I think my next step is to create interiors for all the buildings. I also wanted to make a little annotation showing a side-on view of the map, as I think the heights of the various structures are a little unclear at this point. There will also be a second map showing the subterranean portion of the town square.

This is my first time posting in the forums, so please let me know what you think!

Cheers,

~ Dysnomia / A Moon of Eris

Dysnomia-AMoonofEris-ThePestilentParish-WIP.jpg

[XCali]

Hi!

I actually quite like this. You made good progress in blending the buildings and objects into their surrounding areas. So, well done.
I think the reason the height looks off is because of how small your cast shadows are for the buildings and the trees.
What I like to do is create a Layer dedicated to Cast shadows (using a brush between 40-50% opacity of an almost black to show a bigger shadow) and a layer for your darker Core shadows close to the buildings and objects.
Also, adding Roof shadows on the one side of the roofs will already give a bit more height. And then if you really want to start popping stuff out of the map you can also add selective highlights to where the light strikes the hardest.

Anyway, experiment a bit with and see what happens

[Kisachik the Wanderer]

Hi!

The colors almost make it look like night time under full moon, though there are no sharp shadows that you would usually see in such setting. The ground is painted nicely, although you used a tiled brick wall texture for it, so it has this strange, repetitive pattern. I think a top-down brick floor would look better, or cobblestone, or even just dirt.

Overall it looks cool and even a bit spooky due to lack of interior lighting, especially that empty fireplace.

[Jaxilon]

This has a great vibe.

My personal game is a post-apocalyptic but the coloration and all would fit right in with some areas. In other words, it's something that could be used in a game world such as mine.

As far as further things to do you might consider adding to the depth of the piece by creating a gradient level for each side of the building roofs making the peaks be a lighter color than the eves.

In your case, you seem to know PS pretty well so you may already know how to do that but just in case others do not here is what I'm talking about.

gradient roof.png

The Basic breakdown:
1. Create a new layer draw a square around the area you want to add shading to, in this case, half the roof.
2. use the gradient tool along with black & white coloring to get a gradient that looks about right. The highest points will have the most light and/or wherever the direction of light is coming from. In your case I'm basically saying there is a moon towards the top of the image casting light downward.
3. copy the gradient you just created.
4. create new layer, paste the copy and then move the copy to the other side of the roof.
5. flip the layer vertically (or whatever is opposite of the first gradient).
6. change the layer style to overlay, color dodget/burn, multiply or whatever suits your fancy and viola.

Anyway, this is great and I hope you keep the good work. Ignore anything I say, I'm just attempting to help and if it doesn't fit your mojo don't fret it.

Best regards.

[DrWho42]

i like how it reminds me of an overworld roguelike. looking forward to seeing more of your lovecraftian maps!

[Dysnomia]

Hey there, guys! I've been away for a few days, but wow, these suggestions are so helpful!

The shaped shadows and core shadows would definitely improve things a whole lot. I've mainly relied on the drop shadow layer style so far, but it seems pretty limited in terms of replicating shadows cast by 3D structures. Time to break out the ol' brush. And the roof gradients would be a big improvement too - adds some much-needed depth.

I really appreciate everyone's comments. Thanks heaps!

[Dysnomia]

Hello hello!

I've applied some of the advice given in this thread, and now have an updated version of the map to show. This one also has the roof of the drinking hall restored.

I feel like that blue-green on the roofs is a bit sickly, but maybe that's OK since it's a freaky cult town.

I decided not to change the slightly repetitive brickwork texture of the ground - for one thing, I'm too far in by now and don't want to face blending all that rubble back in. But also, someone mentioned the map reminded them of a roguelike video game and I tend to agree - repetitive tiles and all. When I was making it, I was actually thinking of a particular ninja arcade game that I don't recall the name of now.

Anyway, let me know what you think! All comments welcome and appreciated

Innsmouth-Ruined-Church-v8.jpg

Cheers,
Dysnomia / A Moon of Eris

[KMAlexander]

As a guy who writes Lovecraft-adjacent work, I'm excited to see where this goes. Really liking it so far.

Would love to see something a bit larger break the griddyness a bit. 17th-century towns were rarely so well aligned.

[Dysnomia]

Hey guys,

Here's an update showing what lies beneath the Pestilent Parish. If you enter the trapdoor behind the bar of the drinking hall (see earlier post for drinking hall interior), you will find yourself in a strange cellar with unearthly carvings on the walls and floor. This is where the townsfolk of the Pestilent Parish bring their sacrifices - to the Cistern of Lothl'gr!

As always, comments are very welcome!

Cheers,
Dysnomia

Dysnomia-PestilentParish-CisternofLothlgr-WIP.jpg

[Jaxilon]

It looks great. The shading helped move it into a more 3d look and I think you got it.

It would be cool to have one without the roofs just cuz you know we all want to see inside those buildings